April 24, 2023

Monday, April 24, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

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Joe is always busy.

Biden expected to tap Julie Rodriquez to run 2024 campaign.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to tap Julie Rodriguez, a senior White House adviser, to manage his reelection campaign, two people familiar with deliberations on the matter said Sunday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because Rodriguez’s appointment has not been finalized and Biden has yet to formally launch his reelection campaign. CBS News was first to report that Biden has decided to pick Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, a longtime Democratic party activist, also worked in former President Barack Obama’s White House. She’s the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar Chavez and labor activist Helen Fabela Chávez. (Associated Press).

Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration.

Leonard Kordonowy, a deacon for St. Demetrius Ukrainian Catholic Church in Fairfield, N.D. The state recently launched plans to tap into a new Biden administration immigration program to bring Ukrainians fleeing the war to work in the local oil industry.

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Congress has yet to pass an immigration overhaul, but President Biden has used his executive authority to significantly expand the number of legal immigrants entering the U.S.

Amid a protracted stalemate in Congress over immigration, President Biden has opened a back door to allow hundreds of thousands of new immigrants into the country, significantly expanding the use of humanitarian parole programs for people escaping war and political turmoil around the world.

The measures, introduced over the past year to offer refuge to people fleeing Ukraine, Haiti and Latin America, offer immigrants the opportunity to fly to the United States and quickly secure work authorization, provided they have a private sponsor to take responsibility for them.

As of mid-April, some 300,000 Ukrainians had arrived in the United States under various programs — a number greater than all the people from around the world admitted through the official U.S. refugee program in the last five years.

By the end of 2023, about 360,000 Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians are expected to gain admission through a similar private sponsorship initiative introduced in January to stem unauthorized crossings at the southern border — more people than were issued immigrant visas from these countries in the last 15 years combined. New York Times).

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Kamala is always busy.

Touch 👇 to watch the Vice President’s recent interview on Telemundo.

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Happening around the States.

Democratic Governor Jay Inslee, of the state of Washington, is doing many things right.

Touch 👇 to hear Gov. Inslee talk about stockpiling Mifepristone.

In Tennessee, the Era of Drag continues.

Lizzo brings drag queens on stage, protesting Tennessee law.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In a concert Friday night in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lizzo filled the stage with drag queens in a glittery protest against the state’s legislation designed to restrict drag performances in public.

While performing at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Grammy-winning “Juice” singer brought out a number of drag performers, including Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo. On Saturday, Lizzo posted videos on Instagram from the show, including comments to the crowd that referenced the pending law.

In February, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation against “adult cabaret” in public or in front of minors. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in late March, saying it was too vaguely written. Civil rights groups have criticized the law as a violation of free speech.

The Tennessee law is part of a wider Republican effort to restrict drag showsand other LGBTQ+ public gatherings.

“In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘Don’t go to Tennessee,’” Lizzo said during the Friday concert. “Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most?”

“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences?” added Lizzo. (ABC and Associated Press).

Touch 👇 to watch Lizzo’s show.

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A big deal.

Improved batteries move us closer to a gasoline-free world.

World's largest battery maker announces major breakthrough in energy density.

In one of the most significant battery breakthroughs in recent years, the world’s largest battery manufacturer CATL has announced a new “condensed” battery with 500 Wh/kg which it says will go into mass production this year.

“The launch of condensed batteries will usher in an era of universal electrification of sea, land and air transportation, open up more possibilities of the development of the industry, and promote the achieving of the global carbon neutrality goals at an earlier date,” the company said in a presentation at Auto Shanghai on Thursday.

CATL’s new condensed battery will have almost double the energy intensity of Tesla’s 4680 cells, whose rating of 272-296 Wh/kg are considered very high by current standards.

In 2020 Elon Musk said “electric flight starts to get interesting once you hit 400wh/kg”. At the time he predicted that this would become possible by 2023.
Batteries with 500 Wh/kg will enable electrification of passenger aircraft.

The announcement this week confirms and even exceeds Musk’s prediction that this level of energy density would be commercially possibly by now. ( The Driven, Australia’s most read Electric Vehicle news site).

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Sinking ships.

There are no words.

Netanyahu says he will meet with DeSantis.

Here, the terrible two met in May 2019.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida when he travels to Israel this week, the prime minister said on Sunday.

“Of course I’ll meet with everyone. Why not? I meet with Republican governors and Democratic governors,” Netanyahu said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “I’d meet with every American representative, governor, senator, members of Congress. And I think it’s — it’s my job. And I think it’s important for Israel’s bipartisan support in the United States. I make a point of it.”

DeSantis will travel to Israel on Thursday, according to an announcement from his office. There he’ll meet with Israeli government officials and deliver a keynote address at an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

The trip, which will also include stops in Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, is billed as an international trade mission. It comes as the Florida governor is gearing up for a likely presidential campaign launch.

DeSantis will be abroad from April 24 to April 28, starting in Japan and wrapping up in the United Kingdom. (Politico).

One more thing. Has the Florida Governor confused the United Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom? Does DeSantis really think he can distract voters from the downward flow of his campaign?

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One final thing for today.

I don’t mean to sound harsh but…

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See you tomorrow.